Hubble Views Stellar Genesis in the Southern Pinwheel

January 9, 2014: The vibrant magentas and blues in this Hubble image of the barred spiral galaxy M83 reveal
that the galaxy is ablaze with star formation. The galactic panorama unveils a tapestry of
the drama of stellar birth and death. The galaxy, also known as the Southern Pinwheel, lies
15 million light-years away in the constellation Hydra.

This image is being used to support a citizen science project titled STAR DATE: M83. The
primary goal is to estimate ages for approximately 3,000 star clusters. Amateur scientists
will use the presence or absence of the pink hydrogen emission, the sharpness of the
individual stars, and the color of the clusters to estimate ages. Participants will measure
the sizes of the star clusters and any associated emission nebulae. Finally, the citizen
scientists will "explore" the image, identifying a variety of objects ranging from background
galaxies to supernova remnants to foreground stars. STAR DATE: M83 is a joint collaborative
effort between the Space Telescope Science Institute and Zooniverse, creators of several
citizen science projects including Galaxy Zoo, Planet Hunters, and the Andromeda Project
(go to www.zooniverse.org to see the full list). The M83 project is scheduled to launch on
Monday, January 13, 2014. People interested in exploring this remarkable image in more detail,
and in directly participating in a science project, can visit http://www.projectstardate.org.